Happy Tails Success Stories
The best part of every adoption is seeing our dogs living their best lives, going on adventures, gettin' all the snuggles and treats, hoggin' the couch, tuggin' on toys, and just being a true member of a family.
If you live with a Waggin' Tails alumni dog, show us and other pet lovers how awesome it is to adopt! Please email your success story and photo to wtdr@waggintailsdogrescue.org.
Pip
Came to Waggin’ Tails from: Genesee County Animal Control
Fostered by: Eve
Adopted: Feb 2017 by Adam and daughter Madison
Pip started out with us shy and reserved but is now living life as just a regular ol' doggo who enjoys walks and car rides and her humans.
From Adam: I truly believe she saved us just as much as we may have saved her. She is the sweetest most loyal and loving dog.
Cami
Came to Waggin’ Tails from: Detroit Animal Care and Control
Medical: Treated for heartworm
Fostered by: Tracey
Adopted: June 2018 by Rebecca
From Cami: Cami moved to Colorado with her mom and gets to hike in the mountains now frequentlyI am living my best life navigating this world with my awesome new mom.
Rocky
Came to Waggin’ Tails from: Owner Surrender
Fostered by: Kenneled but championed by volunteers Monica, Tracey, and Kumi
Adopted: Nov 2019 by Lesley & Daden and canine Dori
Enjoying his first boat ride. Rocky routinely sends updates to his 'Aunt Monica.'
Athena
Came to Waggin’ Tails from: Oakland County Animal Control after a one year stay.
Fostered by: Natalie
Adopted: Oct 2016 by Natalie and Mike
Athena is the apple of her mom's eye!
Photo taken by: Pawdacious Portraits
Elvis
Came to Waggin’ Tails from: Found as a stray.
Fostered by: Andrea and Shawn
Adopted: Mar 2015 by Andrea and Shawn
Elvis serves as trusty companion and fellow adventurer to his humans traveling the country. Is Elvis the luckiest dog ever or what? He's probably been to more states than most people. Maybe he'll pen his memoir one day.
Frankie Jane
Came to Waggin’ Tails from: Owner Surrender at 10 1/2 weeks old as "Jane."
Fostered by: Lauren & Derek
Adopted: Jan 2016 by the Rubin's
Frankie Jane (black & tan) spends most of her time with her brother from
another mother when not on home security patrol and lets mom take as many pics as she wants.
Cinnamon
Came to Waggin’ Tails from: River Rouge Animal Shelter
Fostered by: Jen B.
Adopted: May 2017 by Sharon, Marc & their four sweet kids
Cinnamon's family goes all out and celebrates the day she arrived for a one week trial and her official Gotcha Day! No doubt this girl found her forever place in the world.
Edmund
Came to Waggin’ Tails from: Part of the Explorer litter of 10, born to Detroit stray, Amelia.
Fostered by: Jess & Mark
Adopted: June 2015 by William & Rose
As a shameless snack swiper, Edmund is not taking his awesome life for granted and making the best of all adventures with his family.
Emmy
Came to Waggin’ Tails from: Bark Nation
Fostered by: Stephanie and Suzanne and Josh. Sometimes it takes a village.
Adopted: August 2019 by Amber and Brandon
Found as the only surviving pup living in deplorable conditions, our girl is now living life to the fullest, getting all the snuggles she can. As you can see, Emmy is a total daddy's girl!
Scooby (formerly Burrito)
Came to Waggin’ Tails from: Detroit Animal Care & Control
Fostered by: Suzanne
Adopted: August 2019 by Tracy and
From Scooby's mom: Squirrel patrol is his favorite activity followed by frisbee. He's a character ;) GREAT dog and makes everyone, even strangers, feel very loved and special to him. We certainly are very grateful to all that led him our way!!!
Earl
Came to Waggin’ Tails from: River Rouge Animal Shelter
Fostered by: Jen and Kevin
Adopted: November 2018 by Susan and kitty Simon
Relinquished to the shelter with frustrating skin issues but now lives happily with Susan, playing fetch, chasing water from the hose, lounging on the hammock with mom and sometimes puts on his therapy-dog hat to spread some love.
Jimmy
Came to Waggin’ Tails from: Detroit Animal Care and Control (the old building)
Fostered by: Cathy and Matt
Adopted: November 2018 by Cathy and Matt plus canine sis, Josie
Jimmy Jimmerson is quite the spoiled doggo! Mom and Dad serve up popsicles, pizza bones and homemade cakes to the most deserving boy. Jimmy also has a bed in the spare bathroom for ultimate comfort during scary thunderstorms and fireworks!
Bailey
Came to Waggin’ Tails from: Owners who decided to re-home instead of taking Bailey with them when they moved.
Fostered by: Julia
Adopted: November 2018 by Lynda and Jay
Diagnosed with Diabetes shortly after adoption, Bailey is managing well with her dedicated new family taking care of her. Bailey headed to the eastern seashore for the first time this year and while she wasn't fond of the water she did learn to land surf!
Red
Came to Waggin’ Tails from: Dog Aide
Fostered by: Tedi
Adopted: August 2019 by Meaghan and 4-Legged pal, Sylas.
Red, the 65 lb. lapdog, is enjoying life with his mom and brindle doppleganger, Sylas. Red and Sylas are the best of buds, wear matching reflective jackets when out in the backyard at night and keep their awesome big backyard squirrel-free.
Maggie
Came to Waggin’ Tails from: Witness who picked her up after being tossed from a vehicle on a cold winter day in the city.
Fostered by: Beth
Adopted: 2012 by Shelly and Dave
Maggie is a therapy dog and made appearances with Waggin' Tails, meeting kids to teach them about rescue dogs. She has also competed in agility, served as playmates to resident foster dogs, paddle boards with her dad, and is her mom's BFF.
Nala (formerly Lily)
Came to Waggin’ Tails from: Concerned animal advocate who discovered Lily had been handed off to several homes as a pup and needed stability.
Fostered by: Finder
Adopted: August 2019 by Jill, Jason and their two sweet girls
Despite a rough start, Nala has grown into a well-adjusted 60lb. lapdog who loves to swim with the family in the pool and chew on sticks. Her mom says, "We love her so much! She makes us all very happy!!!"
Chloe
Came to Waggin’ Tails from: Reluctantly relinquished by owner with health issues.
Fostered by: 4-Legged Friends Daycare & Boarding
Adopted: 2018 by Esther and Tom
This city slicker now lives on a farm and walks at least a mile a day with her mom. People always want to stop to meet beautiful Chloe. Esther's mom said, "I don't know who rescued who but Chloe is a true wonder." Enjoy all that fresh air, Chloe!
Cooper
Came to Waggin’ Tails from: A rural animal shelter.
Fostered by: Tammy
Adopted: 2009 by Ann and Scott
We didn't think Cooper could get any more handsome but we're suckers for a silver muzzle! Cooper is still crackin' up his people with his antics. Check out the inset photo.
That's Cooper on his first day in his new home way back when. What a sweetheart!
Billy - Forever In Our Hearts
Came to Waggin’ Tails from: Bark Nation
Fostered by: Dan
Adopted: Dan and canine brothers, Duke and Dixon, in January 2019
Found on the streets of Detroit, under a bridge, with bite trauma, open wounds and scars all over his body, this young boy didn't know it a the time, but he was on his way to the best, most cushiest, spoiled dog kinda life ever! Billy's got his foster-turned-forever dad tightly wrapped around his little paw and its one big mark in the win column for all involved in Billy's journey.
** Sadly, Billy unexpectedly passed away in late 2020 but Billy's undeniable pure-of- heart spirit lives on in all who were lucky enough to meet him.
Hershey
Came to Waggin’ Tails from: Gladwin County Animal Shelter
Fostered by: Beth
Adopted: 2009 by Jeff and family
Hershey is enjoying his twilight years lounging in the backyard sun and hanging out with his best cat pal, Harry, along with kitties Hermione & Katniss plus canine sister, Ginny. We're so happy that Hershey has enjoyed a great life with Jeff and his family out in the country.
Emmie
Came to Waggin’ Tails from: Ionia County Animal Control
Fostered by: Jen and Kevin
Adopted: By Jen and Kevin in 2012
Emmy was heartworm positive when she arrived at Waggin' Tails. We fixed her up good-as-new and expected to send her on her way to a forever home. Little did we know, Emmie decided that her foster home would be the perfect forever home! When she isn't gazing lovingly into the eyes of her mom, Emmy tries to frame her canine pals for shredding pillows. All is forgiven. She's too cute to be mad at.
Chance (now Jax)
Came to Waggin’ Tails from: Good Samaritan found Chance at the River Rouge park on a cold January day in 2013.
Fostered by: Coyote
Adopted: May 2013 by Katelyn
Poor lil guy was trying to keep warm in the middle of winter on his own in Detroit. He had a horrible case of mange. Foster mom, Coyote, worked hard to heal Chance's skinny little body back to health... and she did! Today he's livin' a full life as a loved companion, just as it should have been from the start.
Winston
Came to Waggin’ Tails from: Owner surrender
Fostered by: Audrey
Adopted: January 2020 by Melissa and family of five.
Audrey got Winston the Bulldog through surgery to repair Cherry Eye condition (red swollen mass caused by a gland prolapse) on both eyes. Once healed, he made himself right at home with an awesome family of five, who made welcome signs for Winston. Now Winston has a new canine sister and we can't even count all the wrinkles! Can you hear the snorts?
Wrigley
Came to Waggin’ Tails from: Gladwin Animal Shelter
Fostered by: Tracey
Adopted: July 2009 by Doug and Deb and Rocky the cat.
At 13 years young, Wrigs is still having fun and running every day and is very much
a loved member of the family. He also enjoys the wind in his hair on jeep rides! Interestingly, the pigmented spots on his skin are now showing up in his fur,
as he ages. We're happy to see that Wrigley's curls are still intact!
Toby
Came to Waggin’ Tails from: Monroe County Animal Control
Fostered by: Laura and Jason
Adopted: August 2020 by Melissa
Adjusting to new home with Melissa like a champ! Toby enjoys a daily 2-mile walk, playing with his toys and taking naps. What a life! This photo is of Toby after quick trip to the groomer for a trim. At 13 years of age, Toby can still pull off a mohawk. We're speculating that hidden under that scruffy exterior there is a 'mom' tattoo on his bicep, as well. Can we get a translator, please. We need to hear all of his stories!
Ziggy (formerly Sergei)
Came to Waggin’ Tails from: Gratiot County Animal Control
Fostered by: Tracey
Adopted: April 2016 by Rob and Denny
This sweet boy spent his first week at the shelter cowered in a corner. The staff worked with him and by week three he was taking treats from their hands and wanted to play. Ziggy has been a cautious dog since the day we met him and Tracey worked to build his confidence. It took us a long time to find patient pet parents but today Ziggy is reportedly thriving, loves traveling and swimming and is 'such a good boy.'
Cooper
Came to Waggin’ Tails from: Gratiot County Animal Control
Fostered by: Tracey
Adopted: November 2009 by the Thorington family
Cooper's family deemed him the best dog ever! And, he may just be one of the luckiest as our volunteer was at the shelter the day Cooper was to be sold to a broker, which meant a life as a lab animal. Today, Cooper serves as chief snuggler and loves to play ball every single day. Despite getting up there in years he is ALL IN when it comes to playing ball and lovin' on his humans.
Sasha
Came to Waggin’ Tails from: Allegan County Shelter with 10 pups in her belly. Daddy was a black lab and all pups were born with black fur. Owners were unable to care for all of the dogs and pups so Sasha was relinquished to the shelter and transferred to Waggin' Tails.
Fostered by: 4-Legged Friends Daycare and Tracey
Adopted: May 2013 by Tracy
Sasha was a great mama to her brood of pups and we adored all of them but Sasha enjoys her new life serving as trusty companion to her human mom. Sasha's adopter said, "she has made such a huge difference in my life and I can only hope her life is all she deserves."
Spencer
Came to Waggin’ Tails from: Detroit Animal Care and Control
Fostered by: Jodi
Adopted: April 2020 by Caitlin and Jeremy
Spencer fought off a bad case of pneumonia and some skin issues to become manager
of entertainment and snuggles for his new people who happen to both be frontline workers during the pandemic. He enjoys camping, walks, sticks, treats, being a workout buddy and has never and will never believe in
personal space. Keep being you, Spence!
Darby
Came to Waggin’ Tails from: River Rouge Animal Shelter at 4 months old.
Fostered by: Kristy and family
Adopted: 2015 by the Crawford family
Lil Darby needed surgery to repair two holes in her hip bone (avascular necrosis of femoral head/neck) but she was a trooper and recovered quickly. Darby was adopted
soon after and so lucky to be the center of attention of her new family.
Inset: Darby & Ranger at the shelter prior to transfer to Waggin' Tails.
Shelby
Came to Waggin’ Tails from: Owner surrender at 1.5 years of age.
Fostered by: Tracey
Adopted: July 2012 by the Ecclestone family
Shelby was born to travel and enjoys family time on camping and up north trips. She has a special bond with mom and has been her constant companion during life's ups and downs. Shelby has also been mom's rock during the pandemic. Way to go, Shelby!